My nephew’s extra tasks in marrying an Australian citizen, after-the-jump:
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Years ago a childhood friend (Italian/Irish-American) met his Japanese wife in Tokyo at an Irish pub — the week after Christmas, I’ll be heading down a second time to the NY area for my nephew’s wedding. A happy time, yet complicated by the fact that his bride is … Australian. And so my sister-in-law (whom I think worries ... if the sun will come up daily) is quite fraught about all of the paperwork involved … and the election results having an effect.
The couple actually met in Copenhagen, Denmark while on separate business trips. Then, COVID hit – and so they had much more time together than might have been the case. A delightful couple, and they plan to stay in Brooklyn where they live now.
My sister-in-law says that she, my brother and their daughter have all had to file affidavits due to Kevin’s marrying a non-citizen – which is only part of what his bride must undergo (vaccinations and medical tests just for starters).
Kevin says they’ve had to hire an attorney to deal with the green card process, there is that much paperwork. There can be interviews required, but their attorney indicates that if all of the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed – it may not come to that.
Kevin says the big unknown is that after the wedding: one cannot leave the country while the green card application is ongoing – which can take as little as six months, but more likely 1-2 years. For his bride Jemma, that can be a major sacrifice: as her brother may have his own wedding in Australia in early 2026, plus no international business trips for her, which her employer is making allowances for. (The couple don’t mind not having a foreign honeymoon, they note).
I asked if the early January wedding date had any election significance and Kevin replied no: it is in the middle of the Australian summer, making it easy for her relatives to attend (as it is peak summer time for many Australian citizens, with generous vacation allowances for employees in January).
Finally, I asked again about the election affecting their plans. He said that green card application response time was “50% higher under the first Trump administration, so we are a bit worried about that” – yet did not seem terrified. (I might add: her not coming from a “s-hole country” - and fluency in English - may figure prominently in that mindset).
I wonder if the process she’ll go through will be as grueling as it was for Gérard Depardieu in the 1990 film Green Card— or if they can laugh about it years later.
I also spare a thought for many people in our own country who are not laughing over the steps they need to take to get their lives in order … before the new team comes in.
Let’s close with an ode to the city in which they met. The composer Frank Loesser never even visited the city: yet while Wonderful Copenhagen did not become a hit single in Denmark — the Danes embrace it, with the local tourist board named after it (in English). And while performers from Connie Stevens to Dave Brubeck have all covered it: the original performance by Danny Kaye (portraying Hans Christian Andersen) backed by the Gordon Jenkins Orchestra is still the standard.
Now, on to Top Comments:
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And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the cartoon by RubenBolling imagining a role reversal for Mr. Potter on It’s a Wonderful Life— Prince Lotor posts the video of an old SNL skit, imagining Mr. Potter getting his comeuppance from the citizens of Bedford Falls.
Next, an ode to Top Photos…. from Major Kong today.
And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
11) ...sold my soul to the company store… … by jfromga +8011) The MSM by Denise Oliver Velez +8026) And so it begins... by Jerseytime +63